Because the study used real commodities and real money, the results hold implications for everyday decisions, as well as implications for the development of theory. For example, economic theories of spending may benefit from incorporating psychological theories—specifically, theories of emotion and the self—into their models.

If it is the wealth effect, and not the consumption-postponement effect, that really drives changes in savings and consumption rates, then raising rates would reduce consumption only if there was a negative correlation between interest rates and wealth. There clearly is in the United States, where most household wealth consists of real estate and

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Results demonstrated that the misery-is-not-miserly effect occurs only when self-focus is high. That is, self-focus moderates the effect of sadness on spending.